Alex95 Posted July 1, 2023 Author Posted July 1, 2023 8. God's Own Country 7.63/13 Directed by Francis Lee Starring Josh O'Connor, Alec Secăreanu Drama / Romance United Kingdom 98% RT / 85 MC / 4.0 LB Watch Trailer @~Tom~ - 2/13 @Elliott - 5/13 @#jeah - 6/13 @.Rei - 7/13 @Steven_ - 7/13 @totes4totes - 9/13 @NGM - 12/13 @Alex95 - 13/13 Tom Quote This film along with Les Miserables helped discover my love for Josh O'Connor. Brokeback Mountain 2.0! I was thrilled someone chose this for our club and I hope it does very well in the rankings. Elliott Quote I didn't expect to like this movie as much as I did based off the title, but then I watched it and actually loved it. But it's a gay love story, so that's to be expected. Of course the guys are nice to look it, so that helps too. Andy Quote I loved this movie, it wasn't perfect but really entertaining. The two leads had insane chemistry omg. Brokeback Mountain WISHES its sex scenes were as hot as the ones in this movie omg. Rei Quote I know Josh O'Connor is a pretty famous now due to The Crown but this is where I saw him for the first time. While I don't love it as much as Weekend or BPM, it is still a pretty nice gay movie that sort of looks like a modern Brokeback Mountain. Steven Quote I wasn't so sure about this film at first since I didn't think the sudden love story between Johnny and Gheorghe was believable in the beginning. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. But I guess the movie was about Johnny's fear of intimacy and him finally learning to be vulnerable with someone. He found that with Gheorghe, but then he got into some bathroom shenanigans that almost ruined it all. I didn't think the film was going to end with the two of them getting back together. I thought it was all going to be a life lesson for Johnny to grow up and know better moving forward. But then he made the big gesture by going all the way to Scotland to win Gheorghe back. Although it's not what I expected, I thought it was nice that the film ended on a happy note. Megan Quote This is a good movie. However it suffers because 1) I had watched Past Lives before watching this and that movie like wrecked me and 2) while Josh O'Connor is great, Alec Secăreanu's Gheorghe is given like nothing to do except show Johnny that you can kiss on the lips while having sex and not just let animals die and stop being racist towards Romani. I thought Secăreanu was such a lovely portrayal that it would have been nicer to have him have more to do with the character. Anyway, I was also watching this and thinking "Wow I could be watching Summertime" and then I thought "Well what if I just watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire" and to make up for me watching all these young male gay movies I think that next month's theme should just be LESBIANS. Nico Quote I would still call it a pretty good movie, but on rewatch I enjoyed some of the others a lot better Alex Quote MVP: Josh O'Connor Favorite Scene: The nudity. I'm sorry I hate this movie. I was hoping I would soften to it on rewatch but nope. I find the movie to be a mix of offensive and boring, a rare but terrible combination. Josh O'Connor calls Alec Secăreanu a bunch of racist slurs for half the movie and suddenly they're in love? Nope, doesn't work for me. If there was more of a growth there, if Secăreanu was given more agency as a character maybe I could accept it. But he's just the dark and mysterious outsider who is used as a plot device to soften Josh O'Connor and teach him how to love. I couldn't even be happy that two tragic gays finally get a happy ending because I simply was not rooting for them throughout the movie . Maybe it's ironic that I'm a fan of Brokeback Mountain and hate this because that's also about Toxic Gays Who Fall In Love. But I think Brokeback Mountain is a bit older so I can accept that a little better. And I think the script is a whole lot better. I will say this, the chemistry between the leads was palpable. The movie was sexy and I appreciate how Francis Lee isn't afraid to go There. He does not make movies for straight people and I like his bravery and how he's not gonna hold back in order to make more mainstream or palpable movies. Maybe the fact that I'm offended is a good thing because I appreciate Lee's artistry and vision. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be a fan of the movie.
totes4totes Posted July 1, 2023 Posted July 1, 2023 2 hours ago, FrogLenzen said: wish I could have submitted a ranking to reveal that I am a full David Lynch hater friendship with derek over now elliott is my new best friend
totes4totes Posted July 1, 2023 Posted July 1, 2023 1 hour ago, Alex95 said: if Secăreanu was given more agency as a character maybe I could accept it. he does NOTHING in this movie for himself.
#jeah Posted July 2, 2023 Posted July 2, 2023 For my pick for next round, I’m going with a movie I haven’t seen yet but have been meaning to: Animal Kingdom 1 1
Alex95 Posted July 2, 2023 Author Posted July 2, 2023 7. Frances Ha 7.38/13 Directed by Noah Baumbach Starring Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner Comedy / Drama United States 93% RT / 82 MC / 4.0 LB Watch Trailer @Alex95 - 2/13 @#jeah - 5/13 @~Tom~ - 5/13 @Steven_ - 6/13 @Elliott - 9/13 @NGM - 10/13 @.Rei - 11/13 @totes4totes - 11/13 Alex Quote MVP: Greta Gerwig Favorite Scene: Frances at the dinner party So I've gone on quite the journey with this movie. I first watched this, I believe, when I was a freshman in college. I thought it was good. I found Frances to be a bit unrealistic and annoying, but I laughed a decent amount so I was content. Then I watched it again on a whim sometime near graduation. All my friends had their jobs lined up for after college and I had nothing. I had a tiny existential crisis. I found myself relating more to Frances. The movie felt a lot more grounded in reality and realistic. I found a lot of myself in Frances. I watched it again a few months later, now a college graduate, still no job. I was a mess. I too was a quirky white girl in NYC. Aimless. Watching everyone around me just move forward to the next stage of their life while I'm still trying to figure mine out. Frances Ha became a bit of a comfort movie for me? Frances gave me hope for my future. Now I can watch it all these years later. Did not follow my dream job but I've got a solid 9-5 with good benefits. I'm still here I'm doing my thing. Frances Ha remains my ultimate comfort movie. It reminds me of where I was, all the dreams I had, and where I have made it to. I mean, this has been all about Frances' career struggles. I could go into her all too real relationship with Sophie but I'd just be writing forever. The friend you're attached at the the hip to who starts adulting before you...whew. I just can't keep going on. The movie is so real to me and so comforting. And also really f*cking funny. Frances maxing out a credit card to go to France on a whim only to see Puss in Boots is peak comedy. Andy Quote I've loved this movie for years so great suggestion Alex! Back before Miss Gerwig was a hugely successful director, we had this masterpiece of the queen showing off her acting chops! Love that it's in black and white, that was a smart choice. It's just really endearing and fun to watch in every sense of the word. Tom Quote Liked this much more than I expected! Was rooting for Frances the whole movie. Steven Quote This was a nice film. The film went in different directions than I thought it would, but it made sense since Frances herself is kind of stumbling her way through life and trying to figure herself out. I originally thought the film was going to be about Frances discovering herself in Paris, but it just ended up being a spontaneous decision that doesn't even last long in the film. It just caused Frances to attain too much debt and didn't really play much of a role in the film. Along with Frances trying to get her life together, friendship was a prevailing theme throughout the movie too. It's good Frances and Sophie made amends by the end of the film. Also, I thought Greta Gerwig made Frances easy to root for throughout the film. She was very charming and carried the film well. Overall, it was a nice film that I enjoyed. Elliott Quote This is a movie I've heard a lot about, but had never gotten around to seeing. So shout-out to whomever picked this movie so I could finally get around to watching it. Another film I really enjoyed, but based off the plot and the cast, that was to be expected. Nico Quote Depressive yet relatable with sparse moments of hope. Honestly a really good slice of life film. Rei Quote It took me a bit to warm up to the movie as Frances is very similar to the type of people that I wouldn’t get along with in real life but I liked how the story progressed and how she matured and ended up at the end. In the end I ended up enjoying the film quite a lot. Megan Quote This is a movie I liked A LOT when it came out in 2013 but like less now on rewatch. I know Greta Gerwig had a big hand in at least the writing (as she's credited as co-writer with Noah Baumbach) but I would have liked to have seen her take him out of the picture altogether. Anyway, instead of just joking about Frances and Sophie being lesbians together they should have just been lesbians together!
Alex95 Posted July 2, 2023 Author Posted July 2, 2023 A little more than halfway through the round we're left with A Separation After Yang Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Weekend Wild Tales Yi Yi
totes4totes Posted July 2, 2023 Posted July 2, 2023 I just saw new movie Joy Ride and it was so good and so funny that I highly recommend seeing it in theaters or with friends
totes4totes Posted July 2, 2023 Posted July 2, 2023 Pleasantly surprised to see After Yang make it to the top half!
.Rei Posted July 2, 2023 Posted July 2, 2023 I doubt that my Top 3 is gonna be the actual Top 3 but I'm happy they still haven't show up
Alex95 Posted July 2, 2023 Author Posted July 2, 2023 6. After Yang 7.25/13 Directed by Kogonada Starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja Drama / Science Fiction United States 90% RT / 78 MC / 3.9 LB Watch Trailer @Elliott - 2/13 @NGM - 2/13 @totes4totes - 5/13 @Steven_ - 5/13 @~Tom~ - 9/13 @Alex95 - 11/13 @.Rei - 12/13 @#jeah - 12/13 Elliott Quote Next month I need to start at the top because I'm already out of energy after doing all of these write-ups. Anyway, it earns my #2 ranking so I found myself really liking it. I'm not sure how popular this film is, so we'll see. Nico Quote If you put a robot in a movie and start delving into what happens to people around it I will eat it up like an idiot. Megan Quote My own choice so clearly it's a movie I love. I love the very specific subgenre of AIs determining their own existence (or humanity). Like my favorite shows Battlestar Galactica and Humans (starring the most beautiful woman in the world Gemma Chan) or the thrilling Ex Machina. And this is one of the those stories where a family learns their AI (or technosapien) has broken down and cannot be repaired. As much as it is a story about Colin Firth learning that he has to be more present, and the lives and families we create as it is a story about what it means to never fit in culturally. Before Justin H. Min took the role of Chinese (fun fact) Robot Yang, he asked "well what does it mean that I'm a Korean actor playing a Chinese robot meant to connect a Chinese adopted daughter to her black mother and white father" and that question permeates the film. It's never quite answered, and I don't believe it can be. Steven Quote I had no idea what to expect from this movie, but it ended up being quite intriguing. Despite the quiet tone of the film, I didn't find it to be boring. It was quite engrossing and brought up thought-provoking ideas surrounding technology and life itself. I was invested in the story and curious to see how it all would've played out (even though I figured early on Yang wasn't ever going to be repaired). As for the world they lived in, I thought the film did a great job of "show, don't tell" as well. Although I doubt this is a film I would want to watch again, I thought everything here was done very well. I consider it one of the better movies out of these thirteen films. Tom Quote I enjoyed After Yang's themes of grief, but I had high expectations for this movie I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. Alex Quote MVP: Colin Farrell Favorite Scene: Jake and Yang discuss tea This is probably my least favorite of Kogonada's work so far (I desperately need everyone to watch the first season of Pachinko on Apple TV) but it's still a great film and I'd consider Kagonda to be 3 for 3 so far in his career. AI plotlines usually work for me (and now more than ever are they depressingly real). There's a lot of melancholy surrounding the film and lots of questions that have no answer. It's not really a film I thought too much about after it ended and I can't really see myself revisiting again, but I still liked it! Rei Quote I think the movie was beautifully shot and I like the performances especially from Colin Farrell and Justin H. Min. I think they could have done better developing some of the characters, especially Kira. I liked it but I think it didn't go that deep in answering the existential questions it wanted to. Andy Quote I wanted to like this more than I did. Definitely a creative story, I was just personally a little bored throughout.
Alex95 Posted July 2, 2023 Author Posted July 2, 2023 5. Yi Yi 7.13/13 Directed by Edward Yang Starring Wu Nien-jen, Elaine Jin, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang Drama Japan 97% RT / 94 MC / 4.5 LB Watch Trailer @totes4totes - 3/13 @NGM - 3/13 @Elliott - 4/13 @#jeah - 7/13 @Alex95 - 8/13 @.Rei - 9/13 @Steven_ - 11/13 @~Tom~ - 12/13 Megan Quote This is a movie that I had never seen so I'm glad @FrogLenzen chose it. Like everybody I was putting it off because it was so long (mostly because if I watched it as soon as I got home from work that meant that I would finish it at like 10PM at night which means that I'd immediately have to go to bed and I had a lot of busy weekends). But it's just a masterful film that makes it all the more upsetting that you go and realize that this was Edward Yang's last film before he died. It's a really really beautiful movie. And it's movies like this that really make me think that I need to invest in more Criterions. Nico Quote Lowkey considered billing 3 hours to Derek just bc of the runtime but it was great so I can't be to mad about it. Like its 3 hours and I kinda want to watch it again bc I feel there is so much pour over and analyze? This movie's power. While at times it felt slow, I feel like it makes a great use of most of its runtime and the story itself is great. Def worth the time. Elliott Quote So Yi Yi is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of the 21st century, and I would agree that it's a phenomenal film. Similar to my #7, I watched it many years ago when it first came out and have seen it again since then, but - since it's last alphabetically - it was a film I didn't get to properly rewatch for this. Nonetheless, it still earns high marks from me since I've loved it for all of these years,. Andy Quote Tbh I didn't finish this, read the plot though and everything I saw of it was so gorgeous. The story is very unique and I would like to watch this in full one day but I just couldn't find the time to get through this! I am ranking it high because I am 100% sure I would love it more than all the movies below if I had seen all of it. Alex Quote MVP: Kelly Lee Favorite Scene: Min-Min examines her life at her mother's bedside. As everyone said, this really was a lovely movie, albeit a bit long. I had trouble getting invested in NJ's storyline so if I had it my way, I would've cut that one down a bit. But still. I really enjoyed this! I mean not that I ever doubted it. Like Megan, I pretty much had to watch it the second I finished my work day and then get ready for bed right after so that was the biggest problem with me finding time to watch it . Especially since it wasn't a movie I could really multitask as it demands your full attention. But I cried at the ending so that means I loved it! Rei Quote I really like the way the structured the film focusing on just the three main characters: NJ, Ting-Ting and Yang-Yang. I think all three stories were compelling but Yang-Yang’s definitely stole the movie for me. Also the reading of the letter to the grandmother at the end was one of the best ending of a movies I’ve ever seen. I don’t think any of the supporting roles really added to the story, except of course, the grandmother and her coma and I also think the movie could have been way shorter. But this still get major points for that powerful ending. Steven Quote I might've enjoyed this film better if it wasn't so long. I don't think it was a boring film, and I guess everything included served a purpose for the overall narrative. It was an intriguing slice-of-life film, but it's not a film I would want to sit through again. But I can appreciate the ambitious efforts of the film here and understand why it's held to such a high regard. Tom Quote This was overlong and just dragged. Even though there was some good dialogue, I found myself checking my phone a lot.
Alex95 Posted July 2, 2023 Author Posted July 2, 2023 Just a reminder there's still time to make your choices for next month! The theme is films that start with the first letter of your first name @~Tom~ @NGM @1234567890 @anyoneelse
~Tom~ Posted July 2, 2023 Posted July 2, 2023 I will choose a Wes Anderson film I’ve been meaning to see for a long time, The Grand Budapest Hotel. 1
Alex95 Posted July 3, 2023 Author Posted July 3, 2023 (edited) 4. Wild Tales 5.88/13 Directed by Damián Szifron Starring Julieta Zylberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Érica Rivas Drama / Comedy / Thriller Argentina / Spain 94% RT / 77 MC / 4.1 LB Watch Trailer @NGM - 1/13 @Steven_ - 3/13 @#jeah - 4/13 @Alex95 - 7/13 @.Rei - 8/13 @totes4totes - 8/13 @Elliott - 8/13 @~Tom~ - 8/13 Nico Quote I don't know if I would call this a comfort movie in the traditional sense, but this is probably something that kinda fits that role for me? I can watch this in any mood, in any day and I know I will have a great time. The humour is totally up my alley and even though I'm not normally drawn to anthologies, this one worked perfectly for me. One aspect I adore of the movie and I wish a lot more spanish-speaking movies would look at is how natural the dialogue feels in this movie (it also works bc of how "Argentine" it feels). Also "Hasta que la muerte nos separe" lives rent free in my mind and I doubt that will change. Play it at my funeral idc it will be funny. Steven Quote This movie was kind of crazy, but still very entertaining. The film being made up of six short little stories made the runtime feel shorter than it actually was. I think the story that was the most interesting was La Propuesta. It was unbelievable that a guy would agree to take the fall for a hit-and-run, but seeing the back-and-forth of who was calling the shots on whether this plan will go through or not was intriguing. And then it all ended very abruptly by the end. The wedding story was pretty crazy, and I was surprised that it didn't end with someone killing the other. The other stories made for interesting watches too, but I didn't enjoy the road rage one. It was just too gross in parts, and it was kind of obvious how it was all going to end too. Overall, Wild Tales was a good film and one of the most entertaining films included here. Andy Quote Ahhhh someone recommended this to me last year so I had already seen it and LOVED it. We love a good anthology movie and each story was honestly really engrossing and fun and they all had a very similar theme to them with wildly different outcomes. Loved loved loved this. My favorite story was the wedding one I think. Alex Quote MVP: Érica Rivas Favorite Scene: Romina & Ariel's first dance. With an anthology film like this it was very difficult to rank. Some vignettes were amazing and others...not as much. Though honestly I didn't dislike any of them, which partly contributed to the middle ranking. I didn't like the ending of the diner one and was pretty bored by the road rage one (especially since I watched it shortly after watching Beef on Netflix). But the plane one was fun and the birthday party was interesting. The hit-and-run was great, but obviously the wedding really sold it for me. I'd watch a full film about that trainwreck wedding. And I think all the vignettes were thematically connected well enough that overall, this worked as an anthology film and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rei Quote I didn't get the chance to rewatch this again but I remember how absurd but genius were all of the stories. The whole short of Hasta Que La Muerte Nos Separe is absolutely brilliant. I didn't enjoy La Propuesta that much but I think the rest were pretty great. The wedding is by far the strongest of the shorts. Megan Quote I'm gonna be frank. I thought I watched everything and did my write-ups and then saw I still had this. So I rushed watched it today. But then I proceeded to get wasted. What is this movie about? Cannot tell you. Vibes were good tho. Can't wait to think about it when I get up in the morning. Maybe I should watch it again. Past like 10 hours. Who knows what I was doing. L O L. Elliott Quote I'm a sucker for a good anthology film, so I was pleased to see this one accomplished that. Not sure if it's a movie that will join my regular rotation, but I was still happy with the film after I watched it. Tom Quote Wasn't expecting a lot from tis but I enjoyed watching people driven to extremes (get revenge, etc.). Edited July 3, 2023 by Alex95
Steven_ Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 Prediction for what's left: 3. Weekend 2. A Separation 1. Into The Spider-Verse
1234567890 Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 The only movie that comes instantly to mind if V For Vendetta.
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